30 replies to this topic

[AntsMAN]

After just shy of 4 months hibernation I took them out this was 5 days ago. A very large portion of the workers are dead. The queen seems to be okay though. I have another colony of the same species that went through the same hibernation and only 4 workers died, and they are all back to life now. They even moved into there new THA talus. Not sure what happened here I kept them hydrated, checked on them every 2 weeks or so. I'm a little sad. They are just piled up at the bottom. I've been watching them, I remember someone saying it can take up to a week or so for them to come back so well see.

 

[Bracchymyrmex]

Very sad to see a large portion die like that. Good luck!

[AntsMAN]

Very sad to see a large portion die like that. Good luck!

Yes, it was quite a shock. I hope they clean their nest out soon or I'm going to have a mess on my hands.

[MichiganAnts]

why did you wait 4 months? and remember it can take 2 weeks till they wake up.. id only consider them dead if body parts fall off lol

[Canadian anter]

why did you wait 4 months? and remember it can take 2 weeks till they wake up.. id only consider them dead if body parts fall off lol

Wiz, Camponotus in his area do best with 4 months hibernation. AntsMAN was that the mold colony?

[AntsMAN]

 

why did you wait 4 months? and remember it can take 2 weeks till they wake up.. id only consider them dead if body parts fall off lol

Wiz, Camponotus in his area do best with 4 months hibernation. AntsMAN was that the mold colony?

 

 

No the moldy colony died, this was my most healthy colony. I done everything correct. I have since connected them to a smaller nest with a heating cable and the queen and

most of the remaining workers have moved. This was the only colony of mine that had this much trouble in hibernation.

[AntsMAN]

They are still dying off at a pretty fast rate. As I said before my other colony of the same species is doing great.

They seem to be twitching, and there legs are curling under them having trouble walking. I notice the infamous yellow mold on the dead workers inside the nest. I connected them to a smaller nest yet again to see what happens. I've been feeding them a varied diet but there is something I'm missing, water is always available with sugar as well. I don't know what's going on?

I clean all out worlds, and give fresh foods every two days. All my other ants all doing great. But it seems when I get a Camponotus colony up to a few hundred workers something goes wrong.

 

I am doing something wrong.

Edited by AntsMAN, February 20 2017 - 8:20 AM.

[AntsMAN]

I added a out world with some soil in it, hopefully they will bury their garbage and dead in it. I'm thinking of doing this for all my colonies.

Not enough to nest in but enough to use as a dump site.

[benjiwuf]

http://www.formicult...-video/?p=12087 This specific post thanks to drtrmiller may help a bit. It is a possibility, although not a definite cause by any means. Either way it is worth looking at.

 

Edit:  while this was discussing a loss in receptivity, i imagine that not having certain digestive bacteria might not be conducive to the life of the individual let alone the colony.

Edited by benjiwuf, February 20 2017 - 11:10 AM.

[AntsMAN]

http://www.formicult...-video/?p=12087 This specific post thanks to drtrmiller may help a bit. It is a possibility, although not a definite cause by any means. Either way it is worth looking at.

 

Edit:  while this was discussing a loss in receptivity, i imagine that not having certain digestive bacteria might not be conducive to the life of the individual let alone the colony.

 

Thanks that helped a lot. I'm trying a mixture of raw whole eggs, natural honey, sugar, and molasses. The Formica love it but the Camponotus seem to like the meal worms a lot more. I'm going to try blending the meal worms into a paste with honey. Also read something about adding vitamins and minerals from crushing up capsules.

I have feeder insect food ordered, and some crickets.

There is something missing in their diet, is all I can think of. But the others are doing so well. Maybe just a weak colony. Either way I'm going to try to better understand what they need.

[AntsMAN]

I don't think its diet. Maybe it was that they weren't quite prepared for the fridge when I put hem in and they died and the ones that survived have some sort of damage from the cold? I don't really have any ideas. Possibly bad genetics.

[drtrmiller]

If a compressor-run refrigerator was used for hibernation, it is possible that the colony dried out. Refrigerators easily suck all the moisture out of the air. Combined with the sponge-like, moisture-wicking properties of a ytong formicarium, things can go badly very quickly.

Most mass deaths like this are caused by desiccation, and a colony in a refrigerator won't show any signs of distress until it's too late.

Edited by drtrmiller, February 20 2017 - 6:15 PM.

[AntsMAN]

If a compressor-run refrigerator was used for hibernation, it is possible that the colony dried out. Refrigerators easily suck all the moisture out of the air. Combined with the sponge-like, moisture-wicking properties of a ytong formicarium, things can go badly very quickly.

Most mass deaths like this are caused by desiccation, and a colony in a refrigerator won't show any signs of distress until it's too late.

Yes, I use what I believe to be a compressor-run refrigerator. Maybe I could leave a bowl of water in with them next time to help.

I had a nest mate full of water connected the whole time, and checked them every week filling up the inner water tower, but it is a bigger nest couldn't have been enough. What about the workers still dying off?

[Serafine]

I think you really should try what drew said and feed them a larva of the healthy colony. They may indeed have lost some symbiotic endobacteria they require to survive.

[AntsMAN]

I think you really should try what drew said and feed them a larva of the healthy colony. They may indeed have lost some symbiotic endobacteria they require to survive.

 

I'm going to get some brood from a wild colony as this will be easy where they are inactive right now.

[AntsMAN]

I think another factor was when I put them in for hibernation they may not have had enough resources stored in their social stomachs to sustain the whole period.

[Serafine]

It's a long shot sure, but since nothing else helps - maybe it does the trick, who knows. I hope they get well soon.

 

You can also try to give them hydrogel or highly diluted sugar water, something that encourages them to drink more. Do they look very thin or do they look normal but are still doing bad?

 

You can also try to offer them a slice of lemon or a piece of dried tree sap/resin somewhere in their outworld (both can be used by the ants to disinfect themselves).

Edited by Serafine, February 21 2017 - 6:45 AM.

[AntsMAN]

It's a long shot sure, but since nothing else helps - maybe it does the trick, who knows. I hope they get well soon.

 

You can also try to give them hydrogel or highly diluted sugar water, something that encourages them to drink more. Do they look very thin or do they look normal but are still doing bad?

 

You can also try to offer them a slice of lemon or a piece of dried tree sap/resin somewhere in their outworld (both can be used by the ants to disinfect themselves).

 

I'm going to try one thing at a time and see if anything helps. Defiantly going to be taking better consideration  for their diet.

I few of them seem to be full of liquid, but the others look terrible.

I've been looking at getting some tree resin for all my colonies for better hygiene.

Guess I'm going for a walk today.

[benjiwuf]

[quote name="Serafine" post="51638"
You can also try to offer them a slice of lemon or a piece of dried tree sap/resin somewhere in their outworld (both can be used by the ants to disinfect themselves).[/quote]

I'd love to read any articles on this discovery as I said in the previous topic. I'm curious to know what is it in the lemons or tree sap specifically that is a disinfectant as I have never heard of it being a viable disinfectant before your posts.

[AntsMAN]

[quote name="Serafine" post="51638"
You can also try to offer them a slice of lemon or a piece of dried tree sap/resin somewhere in their outworld (both can be used by the ants to disinfect themselves).[/quote]

I'd love to read any articles on this discovery as I said in the previous topic. I'm curious to know what is it in the lemons or tree sap specifically that is a disinfectant as I have never heard of it being a viable disinfectant before your posts.

 

Tree sap - http://sciencenordic...e-sap-and-fungi

The lemons I'd assume its the high acid content that helps to kill bacteria. I'll look for some studies.